This is a documentary on Netflix regarding our food industries. How they used to be prior to fast food industry and what it is today. It shows how local farmers struggle against big corporations.
I don't understand the soybean from last season vs. RoundUp's soybean seed. Why on earth are people being sued over cleaning seed for the next season's soybean. Can someone explain that a little bit more?
And...Kevin's Law. Wow... What do you think it is that the woman couldn't say without getting sued? I can't imagine what her and her family have gone through. It's just so heartbreaking to think that you could easily die from what you are buying at the store/fast food place/etc.
I didn't realize that Oprah was sued over her comments regarding the bad beef. It was beef, right? I don't recall now but either way it's shocking there are laws against people expressing an opinion about their food that they consume.
Re: Discuss: Food Inc.
I haven't watched it yet because a friend told me it made her sick to her stomach. Is it really gross or is she just a wuss?
This. I haven't watched it yet because I'm freaking picky about what I eat and I think if I watch it I might never eat again. DH would not like that.
Parts of it are gross, but not in an "OMG I'm going to puke" kind of way, more like a, "I can't believe the food industry gets away with all this!" kind of way.
We did cut back our meat consumption after seeing it and I watch it every couple months to remind myself how awful the living conditions are for both the animals AND the workers. Even if you don't care that the chicken you eat was just eating another chicken and was severely deformed, you SHOULD care about the working conditions for the people who help provide our food.
It's not gross like, make you throw up gross. It's gross to see the living conditions they are living and how chicken farmers are demanded by the big companies they work for to raise their chickens a specific way. Such as, never seeing the light of day and continuously living in the dark and over crowded, etc.
Ojo: I've searched for a local farmer's market here where I live before and I haven't found one. It's frustrating. I did, however, find a local butcher that has meet from a local farmer who grass feeds his cows.
Wasn't there a big debate about stuff being labeled as organic in grocery stores when it in fact isn't organic like one would think?
Ok, I'll have to find it on Netflix.
I've struggled to find farmers markets the last few years. At our last base, we were in the desert, so the nearest farmers market was two hours away. Driving that distance for local food grown without chemicals was counterproductive. We do normally have farmers markets here, but our spring was really wet, so here it is mid-July and we STILL don't have any crops. None. Not a single thing.
CSAs have worked out to be the best solution for us because there's normally some kind of a delivery system. In CA, the food was grown a couple hours south, but then a truck would haul it, stop to pick up local dairy and eggs, then they'd make mass drop offs for customers at church parking lots. I'd go pick up my stuff there first thing on Saturday mornings. It was cheaper than the commissary and still had a lesser environmental impact since it was coming from a couple hours away and not whatever South American town the commissary's produce comes from.
I'm sure you've seen this, but if not, this website may help you find a CSA or other delivery option. http://www.localharvest.org/
We are getting 1/8 cow in a couple weeks and we're signed up for a dairy share. I have a chart of all our dairy cows' names and birthdays.
I think meat and dairy are the biggest priorities in my house for organics, then produce. I'd rather have a locally grown conventional tomato than an organic one that was trucked in from 1k miles away. It sucks to have to choose.
It's been a while since I watched it, but it kind of upset me how such powerful organizations could be putting out such a terrible product.
To echo what Ojo said, it has led me to seek more local products. Thankfully I live in a part of the country where locally produced products are everywhere.
I like this website for finding places. All you have to do is type in your zip code and it'll give you a list of nearby places.
http://www.eatwellguide.org/i.php?pd=Home
How did you find a CSA?
I have tried both links you and the other poster gave but what comes up is 1 local farmer who sells to the local butcher so I will go there for grass fed beef.
That's awesome about your cow!
Growing up, we had a pair of pigs that were bred. We would name their litter. We had Lucy, Ethel, Fred and Ricky, DocHollywood, etc.
We have a local produce market place but honestly, I don't think any of his stuff is local. I asked him about organic stuff that he sold and he only had lettuce. Out of tons and tons of produce nothing was local from what he was implying.